Painful Throat Anatomy

To better understand sore throat, it helps to understand the anatomy of the throat.

The back of throat is also referred to as the pharynx. More specifically, the pharynx is the back, upper part of the throat behind the tongue. It starts at the base of the tongue and ends at the larynx.

Anatomy examples:

Normal pharynx in adult

Normal pharynx in child

Normal tongue

The tonsils are a pair of lymphoid tissue in the throat. They are located in the back of the mouth and to either side near the base of the tongue. The tonsils generally shrink in size over time. By puberty, the tonsils are usually about the size of an almond.